9839033

White Space Usage for Wireless Local Area Network Devices

PublishedDecember 5, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Patent Claims
12 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A method, said method comprising: receiving a beacon message, said beacon message having a clock descriptor field, a master clock descriptor field and a quiet period scheduling field; inspecting said clock descriptors field and said master clock descriptor field in said beacon message; selecting a master clock responsive to said inspection; and transmitting a message to schedule a quiet period based on said selected master clock, wherein said master clock is selected based on one of stability, accuracy and speed.

Plain English Translation

A method for managing quiet periods in a wireless network involves an access point receiving a beacon message. This message contains information about available clocks, specifically in fields describing clock characteristics and a preferred master clock. The access point analyzes these clock descriptors to select a master clock based on its stability, accuracy, or speed. Finally, the access point broadcasts a message scheduling a quiet period, using the selected master clock as a time reference. This helps coordinate network activity and avoid interference.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said method operates in an access point.

Plain English Translation

The method for managing quiet periods in a wireless network, which involves receiving a beacon message with clock information, selecting a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed, and transmitting a message to schedule a quiet period, is specifically implemented within an access point device. This means the access point performs the clock selection and quiet period scheduling functions itself, rather than relying on a central controller.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said selection is performed by executing IEEE 1588 master clock selection method.

Plain English Translation

The method for managing quiet periods in a wireless network, where an access point receives a beacon message with clock information, selects a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed, and transmits a message to schedule a quiet period, uses the IEEE 1588 standard's master clock selection process. This standardized method provides a robust and interoperable way to determine the best clock source within the network for synchronizing quiet periods. The IEEE 1588 algorithm likely considers factors like clock quality, priority, and path delay in making its selection.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein recipients of said transmitted message modify a time stamp in said messages responsive to time to receive and process said messages.

Plain English Translation

In the method for managing quiet periods in a wireless network where an access point receives a beacon message, selects a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed, and transmits a message to schedule a quiet period, recipient devices that receive the quiet period scheduling message adjust the timestamp within that message to account for the time it takes to receive and process the message. This ensures accurate synchronization of the quiet period across the network, even with variations in processing delays among different devices, making timing more precise.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving a beacon message, said beacon message having a clock descriptor field, a master clock descriptor field and a quiet period scheduling field; means for inspecting said clock descriptors field and said master clock descriptor field in said beacon message; means for selecting a master clock responsive to said inspection; and means for transmitting a message to schedule a quiet period based on said selected master clock, wherein said master clock is selected based on one of stability, accuracy and speed.

Plain English Translation

An apparatus (likely an access point) that coordinates quiet periods in a wireless network: It has a mechanism for receiving beacon messages, which contain clock information (clock descriptor field, master clock descriptor field, and a quiet period scheduling field). It includes a mechanism for inspecting the clock information in these beacon messages. Based on this inspection, it has a mechanism for selecting a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed. Finally, it has a mechanism for transmitting a message that schedules a quiet period using the selected master clock as a reference point.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said apparatus is an access point.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus described previously which has mechanisms for receiving beacon messages with clock information, selecting a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed, and transmitting a quiet period scheduling message, is specifically an access point device. The access point incorporates all the components needed to discover, select, and disseminate quiet period information.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said means for selection is performed by executing IEEE 1588 master clock selection method.

Plain English Translation

An apparatus manages white space usage in wireless local area networks. This apparatus receives a beacon message that contains specific fields for clock descriptors, master clock descriptors, and quiet period scheduling. The apparatus then inspects these clock and master clock descriptor fields within the received beacon message. Based on this inspection, it proceeds to select a master clock. This selection of the master clock is specifically performed by executing the IEEE 1588 master clock selection method, which helps determine the best clock based on criteria such as stability, accuracy, or speed. After selecting the master clock, the apparatus transmits a message to schedule a quiet period, leveraging the timing information from the chosen master clock. ERROR (embedding): Error: Failed to save embedding: Could not find the 'embedding' column of 'patent_claims' in the schema cache

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein recipients of said transmitted message modify a time stamp in said messages responsive to time to receive and process said messages.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus described previously, which has mechanisms for receiving beacon messages with clock information, selecting a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed, and transmitting a quiet period scheduling message, interacts with recipient devices. These recipient devices adjust the timestamps in the received quiet period scheduling message to compensate for the time it took to receive and process the message, improving synchronization precision.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. An apparatus comprising: a transceiver, said transceiver receiving a beacon message, said beacon message having a clock descriptor field, a master clock descriptor field and a quiet period scheduling field; control logic, said control logic inspecting said clock descriptors field and said master clock descriptor field in said beacon message, said control logic in communication with said transceiver; said control logic selecting a master clock responsive to said inspection; and said transceiver transmitting a message to schedule a quiet period based on said selected master clock, wherein said master clock is selected based on one of stability, accuracy and speed.

Plain English Translation

An apparatus (likely an access point) coordinating quiet periods in a wireless network has a transceiver that receives beacon messages containing clock information (clock descriptor, master clock descriptor, quiet period scheduling fields). Control logic connected to the transceiver inspects the clock information in these messages. This control logic selects a master clock based on the clock information's stability, accuracy, or speed. The transceiver then transmits a message scheduling a quiet period based on the selected master clock.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein said apparatus is an access point.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus described previously, which uses a transceiver and control logic to receive clock information, select a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed, and transmit a quiet period scheduling message, is specifically an access point device within the wireless network.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein said control logic selects said master clock by executing IEEE 1588 master clock selection method.

Plain English Translation

In the apparatus described previously, which uses a transceiver and control logic to receive clock information, select a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed, and transmit a quiet period scheduling message, the control logic selects the master clock by implementing the IEEE 1588 master clock selection method. This ensures a standardized and reliable approach to clock selection.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein recipients of said transmitted message modify a time stamp in said messages responsive to time to receive and process said messages.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus described previously, which uses a transceiver and control logic to receive clock information, select a master clock based on stability, accuracy or speed, and transmit a quiet period scheduling message, interacts with recipient devices. These devices modify the timestamp in the received scheduling message based on the time it took to receive and process it, improving synchronization accuracy across the network.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

Unknown

Publication Date

December 5, 2017

Inventors

Wen GAO
Hou-Shin CHEN

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Cite as: Patentable. “WHITE SPACE USAGE FOR WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK DEVICES” (9839033). https://patentable.app/patents/9839033

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WHITE SPACE USAGE FOR WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK DEVICES